Improvement in reversible latches



@uitrit tstrs @anni @Hirn W. T. MUNGER, OF BRANFORD, ASSIGNOR TO P: CORBIN AND F. CORBIN,

OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters .Patent No. 81,931, dated iseptembe':a 8, 1868.

.IMPROVEMENT IN REVERSIBLE LATCHES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, W. T. MUNGER, of Branford, in the county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented, made, and applied to use, a certain new and useful Improvement in Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be afulhrclear, and exact description of the said invention,v reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part of this specification, whereini Figure lis an elevation of said lock, with the cap-plate removed, the parts beihg.in the usual position for use, and I 1 i Figure 2 is a similar view of the lock, with the parts in the'position they assume when the latch can be turnedfonreversngthe herel, to snitrightvor left-hand doors.

Similar marks of reference denote the s'ame parts.

The object of this invention is to allow for reversing the latch without disconnecting any of'the parts from the lock; and said invention consists in audivided horse-shoe slide, the parts being hinged together, so that the horse-shoe can be opened and moved forward s'uiciently to allow thc square end of the latch to be revolved to reverse the bevel at the end, and when the latch is pressed back into the lock, and the hub of the spindle partiaily turned, the cam thereoflatches past the swinging portion of the horse-shoe, and the lock is ready for use.

In the drawing, a represents the lock-oase; 6, the bolt, with its tumbler as usual. My latch, however,'may` be used in a case without a bolt. c is the hub of the spindle, with the cams 2.2; d is one portion of the horseshoe, extending vto the arm or block-8,' into which the end of the shankf of the latch g is entered and'riveted,

or otherwise secured, so that it may 'be revolved in said block 3, but the shank, latch, and portion d of the horseshoe, all slide back and forth together when acted upon by the cam 2, or bythe latch-spring 7L.

is the other portion of the horse-shoe, united to the part d by the pivot 7c, and Zis a spring, tending to press the hool s4 of the horse-shoe towards each other. Y

An opening is provided in theoap-plate of the lock, as shown by red lines, so that a screw-driver or other instrument may he inserted, to-act upon the portion 5 of the horse-shoe, 12,' and disconnect its hook 4 from the cam f?,l and thereby the spring h will be at liberty to project the latch, or it can be drawn forward suiliciently to clear the squarebase of the latch from the mortise in the face of the lock, and thereby said latch is free to be turned to place its bevelled end on the proper sid for the door to which it is to be applied. The latch is then pushed into the lock and the hub o turned, so that its cam presses back the part z' of the horse-shoe, and the hook 4 springs back to its place.4 v

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The divided horse-shoe, formed of the part z', pivoted to the portion d, in combination with the latch gaud shank f, attached to the horse-shoe, so that it may be revolved for reversing said latch, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I Vhave hereunto set my signature, this twenty-first day of March, 1868.

W. T. MUN GER.

Witnesses CHAnLEs PECK, HENRYA NASH. 

